The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch

by Neil Gaiman

Other authorsMichael Zulli

Hardcover, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

741.5973

Genres

Graphic Novels

Comics

Graphic Novels and Comics

Collection

Comics & Graphic Novels

Publication

Titan Books Ltd (2008), Hardcover

Description

Come, come and hear of the strange and terrible tale of Miss Finch, an exacting woman befallen by mystery and abduction deep under the streets of London! New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman delivers another stunning hardcover graphic novel with longtime collaborator Michael Zulli (Creatures of the Night, The Sandman). This is the first comics adaptation of his popular story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch," which saw print only in the U.K. edition of Gaiman's award-winning work Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions and was recently interpreted for his Speaking in Tongues CD. The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch is a "mostly true story" that combines the author's trademark magic realism with Zulli's sumptuous paintings, and has been newly rewritten for this hardcover. Join a group of friends, with the stern Miss Finch in tow, as they enter musty caverns for a subterranean circus spectacle called "The Theatre of Night's Dreaming." Come inside, get out of the pounding rain, and witness this strange world of vampires, ringmasters, illusions and the Cabinet of Wishes Fulfill'd.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member iftyzaidi

I actually hadn't even heard of this until I randomly came across it while browsing. I decided to pick it up since I'm a fan of Gaiman's graphic novels. It is based on one of his short stories (published in the volume Smoke and Mirrors). The artwork is gorgeous, the story itself is decent, but not

outstanding. I would say this is probably going to be appreciated more by Gaiman fans than by casual readers.

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LibraryThing member ironicqueery

Neil Gaiman gives his readers another intriguing story with the Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch. This inventive story blurs the lines between reality and the supernatural world, much like his other works do. The art is wonderful and fits the tone of the book perfectly. The story is

obviously too short, but really that means it's well written and having more of it would have been fabulous. It's like an appetizer more than a full meal. This is well worth reading and viewing.

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LibraryThing member zhukora

Maybe this story works better as a written short story, as was apparently the format of its original publishing, but as a standalone comic, it fails to impress. The characters are rather flat and unappealing, and there simply isn't enough plot to build suspense or give the sense of eerie atmosphere

I could infer was intended, but not successfully expressed. The "weird" twist ending (was it a twist ending? It came across as a little self-congratulatory in an a-ha gotcha! kind of way, so I assume it was meant to be so) didn't seem that weird or surprising. I probably won't be picking this one up again, and am not particularly inclined to seek it out in its original format, which is a shame, because I imagine it's much better that way.

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LibraryThing member takieya

A graphic adaption of one of Neil's short stories with the beautiful art of Michael Zulli. A wonderful addition to any Neil Gaiman collection. This is also on Neil's audio book Speaking In Tongues, which is definitely worth a listen.

LibraryThing member skyekat

This book was a long time coming, originally slated for release over a year ago, but this adaptation of a short story by Neil Gaiman is worth the wait. If you've liked Michael Zulli's adaptations of Mr Gaiman's writing in the past, then you're sure to like this.

The story, also available in Fragile

Things, centers around a "true story", in so much as the characters are ostensibly Mr Gaiman and some of his friends. These friends are obliged to entertain an acquaintance, and ask him along to the theatre and sushi. The theatre doesn't pan out, so instead they go to a circus held in underground caverns in London. While there, the cheesy stage-show develops into a very real threat, and a member of their party never returns...

The rich illustration style of Michael Zulli compliments this dark tale well. A visual feast, as well as a story-telling treat.

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LibraryThing member SatansParakeet

A simple trip to the circus moves from being a story of simple oddities to a story of much more complex and terrifying/exciting strangeness. I first read this story in Gaiman's short story collection Fragile Things and enjoyed there. The addition of Zulli's art and Klein's lettering add an extra

bit of visual interest to the story without ruining it for fans of the original text by itself. The visuals are particularly fun in the freak showy circus scenes and the primeval jungle towards the end. This volume is well worth picking up.

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LibraryThing member unihighlibrary

This was originally a short story by Neil Gaiman adapted into a graphic novel, and graphic it is. Miss Finch is on somewhat of a blind date, to join a group of friends, who all end up at a freak show circus. The graphic novel's main events take place at this circus, where truly unusual and

sometimes frightening things take place. This "night in the life of" type story turns fantastical at the end, but I won't spoil it. For those who appreciate Gaiman's odd and complex personality, this will be a sure hit. For those who prefer the mainstream and conventional, I would suggest a word of caution. Personally, I thought it was refreshingly strange and didn't mind feeling a bit disturbed at the end. -Natalie Sapkarov

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LibraryThing member knielsen83

Interesting, but a bit confusing and I felt like I needed more to the story to really get into it. Still, it's Gaiman and it had some great graphics and some interesting twists.

LibraryThing member StaceyHH

Well.

I adore Gaiman, will read or listen to nearly anything he's done, and in fact am still catching up on some of his smaller works and short stories. The version of this story that appeared in Smoke and Mirrors just seems more cohesive. In this graphic novel version, the story feels disjointed

and scattered. The best thing about it is the art by Michael Zulli, and even that sometimes just feels like a series of circus drawings. I've had this little book on my Gaiman shelf for at least 2 years, and just got around to reading it this morning.

I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed. **½ (never know whether to round those up or down, I so seldom get stuck on a ½*.) At least it was on sale.

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LibraryThing member krau0098

I have had this book on my wish list for quite some time and finally got it for Christmas. This was an intriguing little graphic novel. I enjoyed the story but wasn’t a huge fan of the sketch-like illustration style.

A writer and his friends offer to show the rather stern and unfriendly Miss Finch

around London. They end up visiting a strange subterranean circus called The Theater of Night’s Dreaming. However, this gets more than a little peculiar when Miss Finch never emerges from the circus.

This is definitely an adult graphic novel (lots of talk about sex, nudity, etc). I enjoyed the quirky and mysterious story and found it engaging.

The illustration is colorful and interesting but has a very sketched out unfinished look to it (I know Zulli is famous for this style). This illustration style has never been my favorite and it took a bit away from the story for me. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just not for me.

Overall an intriguing and quirky little graphic novel. I would recommend to those who enjoy the strange and bizarre and unresolved mysteries.

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LibraryThing member lostinalibrary

Two of my favourite things are Neil Gaiman stories and graphic novels. Gaiman is one of the few writers whose work I will seek out and read and reread and always find it as enjoyable, as entertaining as the first time. I originally read The Facts in The Case of the Departure of Miss Finch in

Fragile Things several years ago and thought it was one very dark very creepy tale so when I saw it reproduced as a graphic novel, how could I resist?

While in London a writer is invited out for a night of fun and sushi with a couple of friends. However, their purpose for inviting him is not entirely friendship – they are saddled with Miss Finch, another acquaintance, a woman who is a bit of a killjoy and they hope the presence of the writer will prevent the evening from being entirely ruined.

After, a meal of sushi, in which Miss Finch ‘entertains’ them with tales of all of the parasites that one can get from eating raw seafood along with comments about now extinct animals, they decide to go to a underground circus to get out of the rain. But this is no ordinary circus - there are vampires and other denizens of the dark to amuse and amaze the rather small crowd. None of this, however, impresses the group until they reach the very last exhibit, the Cabinet of Wishes Fullfill’d and Miss Finch is dragged into it.

The graphic novel is published by Dark Horse and illustrated by Michael Zulli. The artwork is done in slightly muted tones and complements the tale beautifully. In fact, this may be one of the few times I would be hard pressed to say which I enjoyed more, the story or the art. This is also a very short book, just 56 pages, but what it lacks in length, it makes up for in the sheer creepy goodness of the story and the beauty of the art. Definitely a high recommendation from me for fans of Neil Gaiman and/or graphic novels.

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LibraryThing member ragwaine

I don't usually enjoy Michael Zulli's art but I liked it in this one. The story was okay, but I tend to be turned off by stories where not a lot happens and it almost seems on purpose so that it will seem more "literate". So I would put this in the "for hardcore Gaiman fans" category.

LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc

This is an updated edition of an older comic. It recounts the story of an evening to an odd circus and what happened to one of their party while they were there. Three friends plan an evening out and due to a last minute addition to the group of a sorta friend of a friend from out of town they go

to odd circus show of only human performers. To really say any more would ruin the plot but it was an enjoyable read.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher Edelweiss

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LibraryThing member bobbybslax

I've liked pretty much all of Gaiman's novels, but I never seem to have much luck with his short stories. I didn't love the artwork and the story didn't grab me, even though I could tell there was more than met the eye. It was only 50 pages, though, so it was entertaining enough.

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